Make no mistake about it, billionaire Michael Bloomberg is a technology whiz. But his energy ideas are bankrupt. His $50 million gift to support the Sierra Club's anti-coal agenda and to stop coal-fired power plants will undoubtedly help move American jobs to China.

With all the attention on the debt-ceiling, it was easy to miss some of the other news coming from Washington. The White House announced a proposed fuel-efficiency standard for passenger cars and trucks of 54.5 miles per gallon.

Far too often, American foundations are reluctant to invest heavily in advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement -- even though it's proven that these strategies provide a tremendous return on investment.

New York mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg just announced a $50 million commitment over four years to clean the air, move beyond coal, and accelerate the transition to cleaner, cost-effective energy sources.

As late as 2006, the GOP had a set of clean energy advocates in high places. Those leaders are all still powerfully placed within the GOP. But they seem to be mindful of the remarkable know-nothing standard set for GOP candidates.

There is no more potent force than a mother fighting for the safety of her children. They don't have to be trained advocates, just spurred to mobilize. Think Lois Gibbs, who revealed the whole town of Love Canal, NY, was sitting on top of 21,000 tons of toxic waste.

After twenty years of delay, American Electric Power wants America to wait another six years before we limit toxic mercury from some power plants -- and they want to delay limits on a host of other dangerous pollutants.

Sierra Club outings are led by trained volunteers and every person has the chance to learn about conservation, natural history and wildlife. That can make an environmentalist -- or a better environmentalist -- out of anyone.